Vampire Hunter D Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Encore ❯ Into the Castle ( Chapter 10 )

Dark Encore

Chapter Ten: Into the Castle

"I am so sick of speaking words

That no one understands!

Is it clear enough that you can't live

Your whole life all alone?

I can hear you in a whisper

But you can't even hear me screaming…"

- Evanescence, "Where Will You Go"

Author's Note: It's all winding down now…^_~ We're nearing the end of the story, folks! Thank you for having read and hopefully enjoyed this - the end is nigh! (Not this chapter, though. Definitely not this chapter. Probably next chapter.)

~*~

Looking up at the dark castle, Erika gulped in apprehension. The castle was tall, perhaps ten or so stories, and as dark - perhaps even darker than the night that surrounded it. The windows, shining yellow light that didn't reflect off the castle itself, seemed eerily like a multitude of eyes shining out, watching, watching everyone, watching forever…it intimidated her very much, and she felt very much like she would have in her much younger years; that is to say, she felt like running home and bawling into her parents or grandparents' shoulders.

But she couldn't do that. Her grandparents were long dead, and her parents would probably be a little upset with her about her lack of courage, so there was really no way she could go home. Not now, not when she was so close… She completely ignored the fact that that was how Leila had phrased it years ago, telling her how it was when she went out to a castle in an attempt to beat a vampire, and telling of the tragedy that resulted. Things wouldn't end that way, thought Erika, oh no they wouldn't! Meier would rest with his precious Charlotte, Rose would come back safe and sound and smiling at her 'sister', and they would leave and race D for the bounty. Whether they won or lost, however, would be irrelevant; it would be a friendly rivalry. Then they would go off and get some odd jobs for a while to fund a new van…oh, it would be wonderful, really!

Erika looked over at D, who was just gazing ahead at the castle. Typical, she thought, half-surprised at the revelation. This was actually a typical D thing; he seemed to be so used to being alone that perhaps the fact that he had company slipped his mind sometimes. Ah well, it didn't matter. In fact, she admired him for it; he wasn't as weak as most humans were, longing for companionship - and this was one of her flaws as well, because company was one of the biggest things in her life. Not waiting for a go-ahead, she nodded, looked at the castle once more, and said (more to herself than anyone,) "Let's get going." Then she rode off, slightly behind D, who had taken off before her…

Once they wandered into the castle, the two vampire hunters were greeted by a twanging, "An' a hearty welcome to y'all! Welcome, welcome, and welcome again!" While the voice still rang around the hall, its owner appeared in the form of a man wearing a rather plain outfit and a straw hat that shielded his face. This man was floating about two feet off the floor and had a catlike grin on his face as he bowed mockingly to the hunters. "Ah am Mnemosyne, one of the current residents of this house, played the guide for ya both, and yeah, Ah kidnapped that girl."

Erika's eyes narrowed as she brought out her blaster. "So you not only tried to kill Rose four years ago, you kidnapped her again and lured me here so you could savor your victory." Her voice warranted no argument, and indeed Mnemosyne just smiled and nodded in that quirky way of his. "You bastard," she swore angrily. "You damn bastard. What is this about, some stupid revenge over the one that got away? Or maybe you're helping Meier too, bringing D with and all that? I oughta shoot you dead right now!" To make good on that threat, she pulled out the blaster, pointed it at Mnemosyne - and was stunned into silence by the look she received. Mnemosyne glared out at the both of them, his face lifted so that he could look directly at them, and his eyes glowed angrily.

"Now, if Ah was you, Ah'd go and put that weapon away, girl," he hissed. "Of course Ah can't force ya to, since Ah ain't a what-ya-call-it - a fightin' man. But Ah can ask and remind ya of what happened when Miss Leila - may she rest in peace - pulled a blaster on a high-level vampire. She never got the chance ta shoot, an' if Ah do remember correctly (which Ah do, it's my gift,) it was that battle what made her leave the business forever. Ya do look just like her, darlin', even if you look like ya seen less sun than her." He laughed out loud at Erika's look of shock, but it was a soft laugh rather than the loud and hearty one he usually had. "Ah know, it's a little confusin' there that Ah know the details when nobody who was from then is still alive - exceptions bein' D there, Meier, and oh yeah, Charlotte Elbourne, although at this rate she's gonna need that ring back for a weddin'. An' it do look like Ah just fried yer brains there again, Miss Erika, as well as Mr. D if Ah ain't mistaken. Well well, mind tellin' me what's on yer minds?"

D looked calmly at the vampire in front of him for a moment, before saying softly, "Mnemosyne…the memory of the world. You remember everything that has ever happened in the world, can call on the details every now and then to suit your purpose, but you can never change the past." At Mnemosyne's nod, D proceeded to add, "There is something you want to finish right here and now, and it has to do with that incident."

Mnemosyne couldn't help scowling at him then. "Damn you, you emotionless…person with a left-hand parasite!" he howled, ignoring Erika's look of confusion and the agitation of Left Hand at being revealed (although it didn't do anything stupid like speak, thank goodness for that.) He calmed down immediately after that outburst, but a feral, angry look remained in his eyes. "Ah do hate it when someone can read me as easily as Ah can read others, mind ya - Ah really do hate it - but Ah will not kill ya, simply because Ah don' feel much like killing anyone right now." A look of pain crossed his face and then he looked, beseechingly, from vampire hunter to vampire hunter. "Please believe what Ah say. Ah don't like killin' people, even though bein' a vampire is centered around it! And Ah don't want to kill you, never did. Ah just…brought you here as witnesses…" He trailed off, and then muttered to himself, "The ship is all repaired now, and they probably figured it out…oh please, get out of here safely…"

Erika glared at Mnemosyne angrily. "What do you mean, you bastard?" Her question was immediately answered - not by the vampire, but by the sounds of people walking on a balcony above them. One pair of the steps sounded slightly like they were boots, and probably like the owner of said boots was male; the second…the second was a more quiet stepping sound that Erika could have recognized anywhere. Whirling around and looking upwards, she was met by the sight of a balcony across the circular room and containing two people. One of them she recognized immediately: "Rose! Oh, thank God I…found…you?" The reason for Erika's surprise was evident in that Rose was standing right next to Meier Link and that one of the vampire's arms was gently curled around her waist.

Rose's eyes reflected shock for a second before displaying sorrow - and, for the first time in all the years Erika had known her, Rose turned away from her 'sister,' eyes shut tight. The look on Meier's eyes could have rivaled D's in emotionlessness, except - was that pity in his eyes?! A whirr-creeeeeeak-clank-clank-whirrrrrrrrrr noise brought Erika's attention back to reality. "Machinery," said D softly, before Mnemosyne's howl nearly drowned it out: "Get going, you blasted elevator, get moving! Bring them to the ship already!" As if in response, the balcony started to creak…

Erika whirled around again, glaring in confusion at Mnemosyne. "Now I really want to know what you're talking about," she growled…